Improvement in machines for uniting the soles to uppers in boots and shoes



V J. P. TIRRELL. Improvement in Ma chine for U niting the Soles to U pperS 0f Boots and Shoes. No. 132,118, Pateri ted Oct. 8, 1872.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

'JAOOB P. TIRRELL, OF OHARLESTOWN, ASSIGNOR TO GORDON MGKAY, TRUSTEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR UNITING THE SOLES TO UPPERS lN BOOTS AND SHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 132,118, dated October 8, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB P. TIRRELL, of

- Oharlestown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an improvement in Uniting the Soles and Uppers of Boots and Shoes; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

In certain patents relating to. machines for uniting soles and uppers of boots and shoes cutting the successive nails to lengths in accordance with the varying thickness of the parts to be united by them.

In my invention I drive or insert the wire before it is cut, and I use, in connection with a suitable feeding device that feeds the wire, devices by which, when the point of the wire reaches the face of the last, or the work-support upon which the inner sole rests for insertion of the nail, the feed-gripe shall be released and press the wire no further, the action of the feed mechanism in inserting the wire being followed by the action of cutters that cut the wire at or close to or in uniform relation to the outer surface of the outer sole.

My invention consists, primarily, in combining, with a feeding device that inserts or drives the wire before it is cut, and with cutters that sever the wire at the outer surface of the sole, or uniformly in relation thereto,

mechanism by which the gripe upon the wire is released when the point of the wire reaches the inner surface of the inner sole, or the surface of the'last or work-support, so that in cutting the wire at or with direct relation to the outer surface of the sole each nail is left in the shoe of a length equal to or having a definite relation to the thickness of the parts united by it. I prefer to efl'ect the release of the gripe upon the wire by means of an electric circuit, and an armature, a magnet, and-magnetic coil connected with the mechanism for controlling the griping devices, and one part of my invention consists in the combination of such a circuit with a sole-nailing machine in ture is effected at the time the point of the wire, in passing through the sole, reaches the inner surface of the inner sole or the surface of the last, the movement of the armature actuating devices or a device through which the gripe upon the wire is loosened and the wire no longer pressed forward.

The drawing represents a machine embodying my invention.

A shows the machine in side elevation. B is a front view of it.. 0 is a vertical section of the wire-containing tube and wire-feedingjaws.

The drawing shows a magnetic coil and armature connected with the machine, as I consider this to be the most practical method of practising my invention.

a denotes the post or standard; I), the head; c, the driving-shaft. d'denotes a cutter-lever fulcrumed at e, and having at its lower end a cutter or cutting-edge, f, which operates, in connection with .a stationary cutter, g, to sever the wire at the surface of the sole, the cutters resting or hearing against the sole, and the cutter-lever being operated by a cam-wheel, h, on the end of the driving-shaft. i denotes the wire-containing tube, having in its lower end two griper-jaws, 70 k, which, at their outer edges, extend beyond the tube so as to be pressed in to bring the inner edges against the wire by a sleeve or collar, l, that surrounds and can slide upon the tube. The tube reciprocates vertically in guides or bearings m, and is actuated by a crank-pin, n, extending from the camwheel h. The action of the tube and wiregriping devices forces the wire down and into the sole each time after the shoe (by the action of the shoe-feeding mechanism, not shown,) is moved forward to bring beneath the tube the point at which the wire is to be inserted. Beneath the collar 1 is a fork, 0, at the end of the horizontal arm of a lever, p, fulcrumed at q, the vertical arm of said lever extending up, as seen at A. At the top of the vertical arm of such manner that the movement of the armathe lever is an extended edge, a", and over this edge is a friction pawl or brake, s, pivoted at t, and having an arm, u, which is pressed down, by the stress of a spring, '0, to an arm, w, of? an armature lever or bar that carries the armature z of a magnetic coil, 00, from which coil two wires extend to the respective poles of a suitable battery. The forked arm 0 of the lever is pressed up to the collar l by the stress of a suitable spring, preferably acting upon the vertical arm of the lever. The shoe to be nailed is mounted upon a suitable support, which is covered or formed with an upper metallic face, the drawing showing a last with a metal sole-face, 3 The shoe-support stands upon a metal socket or step-plate, a}, and the circuit-wire b jextends from the sole-plate y through the last and supporting-post 0 to the step, and thence to one helix of the magnetic coil, the metal head of the machine being connected to the opposite helix of the coil, and the two helices of the coil to the two poles of the battery by the circuit-wires d 6 When the crank-wheel turns, and in turning presses down the tube i and its wire-griping jaws, the wire is fed down and driven into and through the soles to the metal surface of the last, (the last being held up to keep the sole against the cutters by, any suitable means,) and as soon as or whenever the entering point of the wire reaches the metal last-face, contact of the wire and the last-face closes the circuit, and the armature is drawn to its magnet. This movement of thearmature causes its arm w to raise the long arm of the brake or pawl lever and press down the pawl-pointagainst the edge 7' of the lever 19, arresting the lever and its fork and causing the fork to arrest the collar 1. But as the movement of the tube is constant, the arrest of the collar 1 causes the griper-jaws to loose their hold upon the wire, and they then slide down'over the Wire Without imparting movement thereto. After the feed-jaws have completed their movement, the cam h actuates the cutter-lever and causes the driven nail to be severed from the wire at the outer surface of the outer sole, thus efi'ecting the cutting of'- each wire to a length corresponding to the thickness of the parts united by it. When the nail has been severed, the circuit is thereby broken and the armature is thrown back, and when the wire tube is drawn up the jaws slip upon the wire, the wire being held stationary by a suitable spring, f and the tube in rising slides in the collar 1, causing the feed-jaws to be forced upon the wire by said collar to gripe the wire preparatory to the next descent of the jaws with the wire, the wire being then again driven into the sole and again out off to the proper length, as before.

I claim- 1. In combination with a boot or shoe support for presenting the sole to be nailed, and

with a mechanism that inserts or drives the Wire preparatory to the severing of the nail, and with Wire-cutting devices that sever the wire at or with definite relation to the outer surface of the sole, a wire-feed mechanism, operating substantially as described, that releases the wire by the act of touching the point of the wire upon the surface of the boot or shoe support.

2. In combination with griping devices that gripe and drive the wire and with a metal or metal-faced support, a magnetic coil and armature, and mechanism connecting the armature with the griping devices, the contact of the point of the driven or entering wire with the metal face of the work-support causing the circuit to be closed, the armature to be moved,.and the gripe to be released, all sub stantially as described.

3. The process, substantially as described, of uniting the soles and uppers of boots and shoes by using a nail-forming wire, inserting its end before severing the nail, driving the point of the wire just to the inner surface of the inner sole and then, by contact with the boot and shoe support, causing the cutting off the wire or severing the nail at the outer surface of the outer sole.

Witnesses: J. P. TIRRELL.

FRANCIS GOULD, M. W. FRQTHINGHAM. 

